


known alien

by whatcaniwriteinthis



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alien Keith (Voltron), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Genderqueer Character, Genderqueer Pidge | Katie Holt, Kidnapping, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Pidge is a Meme Loving Fuck, Team Feels, Team as Family, injuries, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 03:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7668349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatcaniwriteinthis/pseuds/whatcaniwriteinthis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in through the nose, out through the mouth </p><p>or: the 5 times lance hid keith's real identity and the one time keith revealed the truth to save him</p>
            </blockquote>





	known alien

**Author's Note:**

> the whole pronoun mashup with pidge is heavily inspired [Gigapoodle's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Gigapoodle/profile) [The Lion's Den](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7514507/chapters/17081132) shout out to that hella awesome fic

**one**

Lance curses under his breath, an endless litany of angry Spanish words that would make his moms wash out his mouth. Keith groans, hand scrabbling at Lance’s. “Go, go, leave, go,” he chants- which honestly is a ridiculous display of mental capacity considering that there’s a _hole_ in his _stomach_.

“Shut the hell up man, we’re not in _any_ danger.” Lance mutters, an it’s true. The only Galra on the planet is bleeding out under Lance right now- not that the rest of the team knows this.

“Lance?” Shiro’s voice echoes down the passageway.

“Down here!” Lance yells back, barely turning around. Footsteps thud down towards them- the rest of the team is with him, which is good. They’ll need all the help they can get.

“Fuck,” Pidge whispers as he takes in the scene. Shiro doesn’t even pause; he just starts giving out orders.

“Lance, Hunk, hold him down!” he barks. “Pidge, get out the kit!”

Lance moves towards Keith’s knees, but then out of the corner of his eye he sees purple pointed ears peeking out from Keith’s hair. He’s losing control of his disguise. Lance realizes this with a slow sinking in his stomach and reacts with a fast movement to Keith’s arms. Hunk takes half a step backwards, surprised, but just adjusts. He stands by Keith’s legs and kneels down to hold his legs still. Shiro pulls Keith’s armour away from the would. Pidge pours some dark liquid onto a pad of gauze.

“Keith, we’re going to clean your wound.” Shiro says seriously. “It’s going to sting.”

“No, no, you have to go!” Keith protests, pulling away from Hunk and Lance- or at least trying to. Shiro gets started.

At the first touch, Keith lets out a horrible shriek that echos through the tunnel. Lance never wants to hear that sound again. Shiro pushes on, and Keith’s shrieks subside to whimpers.

“I’m sorry.” Lance whispers, arms trembling as he holds him down. “I’m sorry.”

Keith’s face contorts, and sharp fangs are bared at Lance. He responds by shifting his body to cover him better. He’s not scared- but he doesn’t realize. Not yet anyways. “I’m sorry.” he repeats, trying not to cry. He’s getting feelings over _Keith_. Garrison-him would be _so_ disappointed.

Several tense minutes later, Shiro finally announces, “Done,” They all sigh with relief. Hunk lets go of Keith’s legs, but Lance stays where he is. The purple still hasn’t faded from Keith’s face- which is streaked with tears.

“Shh,” Lance hums, his voice calmer than he actually is. “Shh,” he watches as the purple fades into pale skin.”Shh,” He sits back.

“Thank you.” Keith whispers hoarsely. His eyes are still closed, but his hand closes around Lance’s wrist.

“A-anytime.” Lance stammers back.

 

**two**

The fourth time someone leers at Pidge, Keith starts to growl. Lance only hears because he’s right next to Keith.

They’re all in a line, with Shiro in the middle and Lance and Hunk at the ends. They’re all in attention, and they’re expected to remain that way until Allura finishes discussions with the leader of whichever part of whichever planet they’re currently on. Lance loves learning about different cultures- but this place is by _far_ the most demeaning to soldiers.

Keith looks like he’s one ill timed wink away from snapping someone’s neck. Lance can relate- the creepy looks Pidge is getting are enough to make _anyone_ want to stand up for them. However, Lance knows that Pidge is just waiting to hack the speakers system and rick-roll everyone (the meme loving kid that they are) and also that Allura would be hella pissed if they interrupt her meeting.

A richly dressed person saunters up in front of them. All five paladins stare impassively past them. They make their way down the line slowly, like they’re evaluating a purchase or something equally dehumanising and gross. They stop in front of Pidge, and start blatantly checking her out. Pidge doesn’t react, but Keith does.

Keith moves forward, snarling, and Lance reacts by moving faster, in front of him. “Keith,” he says sharply. Keith scowls, lips pulling down in an almost pout. _Ears._ Lance mouths. Shock spreads across Keith’s face- and then fear.

“Breathe,” Lance whispers and, surprisingly, Keith listens. He takes a deep breath and then exhales, and as he does his ears shrink and return to their human form.

They both return to their places. Half an hour later, every device in the room rick-rolls their alien friends. Lance discretely high-fives Pidge. He laughs at the confusion.

 

**three**

Lance is sick- the kind of sick that would be easily solved by a half an hour in a healing pod, but apparently sneezing on the controls renders them useless.

“Only you,” Keith sighs and shakes his head. Lance sticks out his tongue.

“It’s like he’s drunk.” Lance hears Keith mumble to Shiro as Lance leans against him, which, fair, but Lance is _sick_. He deserves _sympathy_. He tells Keith as much, but he just snorts.

“Screw you man.” Lance mutters. Even out in the icy never ending soul-sucking darkness of space, Keith is still a jackass. Lance falls onto his lap, and curls into it. Keith makes a small surprised noise- almost a squeak- but doesn’t knock Lance off of his lap (surprisingly). Lance just stays there. His head hurts and he just needs a _nap_.

Shiro hangs behind and talks to Keith, quietly and steadily. Keith’s replies are low rumblings through his chest that vibrate through Lance in an absurdly pleasant way. Slowly but surely, Lance falls asleep.

Lance is awoken by angry shouting. Pidge is yelling- screaming almost- at Shiro, who replies in a snipey tone. Hunk is standing on the sidelines, looking nervous and like he wants to calm them down but isn’t sure how.

Lance twists his neck slightly to look up at Keith. He doesn’t look to calm- more agitated actually. His eyes are closed, but as Lance continues to stare, they open to reveal yellow pupiless ones. Lance sits up and jumps in front of him. His hands fly up to cover Keith’s ears. Behind him, the rest of the team go quiet.

“Lance?” Shiro calls worriedly. “Are you okay?

Lance casts around wildly for a for an excuse. “I need to tell Keith something.” he blurts. Fangs peak out from underneath Keith’s lips- which are pulled up slightly at the corners in a half-smirk-half-smile. There’s a long moment of silence. Lance tries to will his face to stop flushing, the same way Keith wills his own to turn normal again.

“You’re hair is stupid.” he says seriously. Keith rolls his eyes, that are now back to normal and not yellow and wide and...cute.

Lance lets go of his face and sits back down. “Sleep,” he mumbles. “Is something I really need.” He leans back onto Keith’s lap and tries to ignore the confusion on the rest of his teammates’ faces. He falls asleep quickly.

 

**four**

Lance clutches Keith by the shoulders, his grip tight and reassuring. “He’s here,” he tells him. “He’s still here.”

Keith shakes his head. “I thought,” he croaks. “I thought-” He doesn’t finish his sentence, but Lance understands him. Keith shakes his head again, and a full bodied shudder passes through his body. Lance jumps back as if scalded.

A blotchy purple is spreading across Keith’s face. Fangs appear from under his lips as his mouth pulls back in a soundless snarl. He’s almost unrecognizable- no hint of the Keith Lance knows in the pupilless yellow eyes. Lance closes the door quietly. He’s never seen Keith’s full Galra form- but, surprisingly, he’s not scared.

“Get out of here.” Keith growls harshly. His brows are furrowed, like he’s trying to regain control.

“No.” Lance says firmly. He takes a step closer to Keith. “It’s okay you know.” he says soothingly. “It’s okay to not always be in control.” He takes another step forward.

Keith’s snarl crumples and falls away and Lance can finally see him for what he actually is: a scared boy, millions of lightyears away from what is known and comfortable.

And Lance is a scared boy too. They’re both too young to be dealing with what they’re dealing with- but at the same time Lance doesn't think anyone’s ever old enough to deal with what they’re dealing with. Coran is ten thousand years old and then a lot more and even he sometimes looks too young to be fighting the war they’re fighting. They’re all too young to be fighting the war that they’re fighting- but fight they will.

Lance reaches out and gently touches Keith’s shoulder. “It’s okay to be upset.” he tells him . “It’s okay to be afraid.”

Keith looks up at him with large watery eyes, He reaches out a hand of his one, clawed and purple, and gently touches Lance’s cheek. Keith’s claws are long and sharp and Keith himself is strong but somehow, Lance isn’t afraid. He trusts Keith. “It’s okay to miss what you don’t have.” Keith tells him. “It’s okay to be homesick.”

Lance smiles, watery but real. He drops his hand and Keith drops his.

“Breathe.” Lance says. Keith does, a long inhale through his nose and a slow exhale through his mouth. The purple and fur fade from his skin and human features return. The completely yellow eyes turn brown and white and black again. There’s a pang in Lance’s chest like he misses them already.

“Thank you.” Keith whispers hoarsely but honestly.

“Anytime.” Lance replies, equally honest.

 

**five**

Giddy with excitement, the five Paladins crash into the dining room, still high off the adrenaline rush of their latest victory. Hunk had found some drinks, and had poured them into mismatching cups.

“A toast!” Shiro exclaims, lifting his glass.

“Toast?” Pidge cries out, looking excited at the prospect of actual bread. Then she realizes what Shiro actually meant and they turn back to their drink, pouting.

Absently, Lance wonders if these drinks are alcoholic.

“To the finest team I have ever had the honor of leading!” Shiro continues, as if uninterrupted.

“YEAH!” Hunk and Lance cry out together, raising their own drinks. Liquid sloshes over the sides, and they laugh.

“We’re the only team you’ve ever lead!” Pidge jeers, apparently bitter over the lack of actual bread. He's pouting, but like she's trying to prevent giggles.

“Well then, imagine if you weren’t the finest.” Shiro smirks.

“ _OH_!” Hunk and Lance chorus, like a couple of grade schoolers. Pidge rolls their eyes good naturedly. They all laugh, but not just from happiness- also relief.

Lance takes a moment to look at his team, _really_ look.

Pidge looks happier than she has in a long while- probably since Lance met them. Even though his brother and father are still prisoner, Pidge seems to be more confident and _hopeful_ than ever.

Hunk is still anxious about everything in general (with good reason too), but less so about his own abilities or theirs as a team. Saving the Balmerins did that to him.

Lance still can’t get a read on Shiro. He’s closed off, like he thinks that he needs to be strong for them. Lance hopes he has an outlet or a shoulder to lean on (Allura)- otherwise he’s one close call away from a breakdown.

As for Keith…

Their dynamic has definitely changed; they’ve gotten closer. Lance isn’t sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing- it’s just _a_ thing. It kind of worries him. 

Speaking of things that worry him, Keith has gotten so relaxed that his shift has started to slip. He has to distract the rest of the team, at least for long enough for Keith to regain control, but he doesn’t want to ruin the mood. It’s rare that Keith ever feels relaxed.

Keith makes the choice for him. He catches his eye, and flicks his eyebrows upwards, questioningly.

 _Ears._ Lance mouths. Keith’s eyes widen.

 _Distract_. Keith mouths back, looking frantic.

Lance launches into song, “We are the champions, my friends.” he bellows. Hunk perks up immediately.

“And we’ll, keep on fighting, til the end.” he sings back.

“We are the champions.” they chorus. Lance turns to Pidge expectantly.

“We are the champions.” they sing back, laughing slightly.

Lance risks a glance to Keith. His eyes are screwed shut and he’s breathing deeply: in through the nose, out through the mouth.

“No time for losers,” Shiro sings, surprisingly well.

“‘Cause we are the champions,” they all sing, except for Keith- but his ears are back to normal, and he opens his mouth to join in.

“Of the world!” he sings, and _whoa_ , was his voice always that good?

“Keith!” Pidge hoots, and he laughs, embarrassed.

They keep singing, but Lance’s focus is on Keith. He smiles at Lance and, scarily, a flutter passes through his stomach.

 _Oh no._ Lance thinks.

 

**and one more**

Fucking Galra. That’s all Lance has to say about this mess: fucking Galra.

He’s sitting in the middle of a too bright room in the middle of a Galran ship. His arms are held above his head by chains, which makes it very hard to sleep through interrogations- that’s a tactic he devised during his first capture. It works pretty well, because then the interrogator gets mad and then just bellows instead of torturing you.

 _Oh well, at least I can sit._ Lance thinks, sighing to himself.

Lance has gotten to a very weird point in his life if _that_ is his immediate thought after being captured by fucking aliens- but then again, it’s barely been more than a day.

“Fuck you!” he screams, not to anyone in particular, but just the universe at large.

“Lance?” someone exclaims. It’s Pidge, and she sounds like he's only a few meters away.

“Pidge?” Lance calls, standing up.

“Lance?” Pidge calls again. “Fuck.”

“Why can’t I see you?” Lance asks, worried. He pulls against his chains, and they yank his shoulders. He swears.

“Fucking particle barriers.” Pidge mumbles. Okay, they have to be close. Pidge is a quiet mumbler- if Lance can hear them, they can’t be farther than a three meters (he’s checked (don’t judge him)).

“I would be able to see you through a particle barrier.” He pauses for a second, thinking. “And the Galra get through just fine. What the quiznak?” he adds, as an afterthought.

“A species specific barrier!” Pidge gasps- and, honestly, they just made that up. “Oh man I _have_ to get my hands on some of this tech-”

“Maybe later, when I’m not tied up?” Lance suggests. “Geek out time is post-mission.”

“Right!” Pidge says. “I’ll go get Shiro.”

A few minutes later, and arm suddenly appears no more than a meter away from Lance’s face, like it was punched through drywall. “Shiro?” Lance asks, baffled.

“Yeah sorry Lance.” Shiro calls back. His arm disappears. “It’s only letting my arm through.”

“The controls are inside.” Lance hears Pidge whisper. That's true; he can see them from where he is, but he can't reach them- not even with his ridiculously long limbs.

“We could shut down the power?” Hunk suggests.

“No time for that.” Keith’s voice cuts across sharply. “I’ve got this.”

“No!” Lance shouts, pulling against the chains. They rattle, but don’t budge. “Keith, don’t you dare!”

“We don’t have _time_!” Keith yells back and then he’s there- in all his alien purple glory. Lance sags against the chains, half-relieved, half-exasperated.

Keith pulls out his bayard and slices through the chains holding Lance. Lance stumbles forward onto him. “You idiot!” He punches Keith’s shoulder. “Why’d you do that?”

“I couldn’t leave you here.” Keith says, too honestly. “Can you walk?” he asks.

“What kind of a question is that?” Lance asks back. “Of course I can!”

Keith lets go of him. Lance nearly falls over. Luckily, Keith isn’t looking at him. Instead, his bayard is out again, and he’s slicing through the control panel. The air in front of Lance shimmers, and the rest of the team is revealed.

“Lance, oh, thank God.” Hunk mumbles, and moves towards him. Keith gets there first though, and puts Lance’s arm around his shoulder. Hunk stops in his tracks and doesn’t make a move towards them. Lance tries to ignore this.

The team clears a path for the two of them. Lance, even though his _life_ is in danger, finds himself worrying about Keith. The purple hasn’t even begun to fade and the yellow eyes that gave Lance stomach flutters are still there: narrowed and determined.

They make it to an escape pod and Shiro jumps for the controls. Keith carefully lets Lance down into an empty seat- even going as far to buckle him in. The pod jettisons from the ship, but Lance can’t pay attention to their daring (and narrow) escape.

“Why’d you do that?” he asks again, angrily. Worry and fear and relief bubble in his chest, and anger finds its way up and out- like steam from a kettle. He thumps Keith on the chest, but it lacks any real force.

“I couldn’t leave you there.” Keith repeats. He looks mad too, and also confused. He also looks cute. Damn Lance's bisexual ass.

“Keith- you heard them, you could’ve just cut the power or something equally un-stupid!” Lance snipes.

“You’ve been missing for _weeks_!” Keith yells. “I wasn’t gonna leave you there for a _second_ longer!”

Lance falls back into his seat with a dull thump. “Weeks?” he repeats, his voice small.

Ever since he’s come out to trillions of lightyears away from his family, Lance has become hyperaware of time- and how it’s passing way too quickly. It’s bad enough that they’ve been fighting for months on end- almost a year- but to hear they’ve lost weeks, _weeks_ , all because Lance was a little too arrogant and decided to respond to a distress signal without backup…

“Lance, hey Lance, listen to me,” Keith shakes Lance gently by his shoulders until he looks him in the eye. “It’s okay.”

Lance looks up at Keith, at large earnest not-human eyes, and then at the rest of the team. Is it really?

Shiro, who had been surprisingly quiet until now, senses his unspoken question. “Keith’s a part of this team- always will be. We _are_ going to talk, but he’s not going anywhere.” he says seriously.

“Exactly.” Hunk agrees, from his position behind Shiro. He twists in his seat to look at them properly, and Lance is hit by overwhelming love for his best friend. Pidge, who’s curled up in a seat and almost asleep, nods their agreement.

Keith relaxes, properly. He sits down next to Lance, who leans into him unconsciously, like they’ve been doing this for years. Almost shyly, Keith responds by taking Lance’s bony hand into his own clawed one.

Later, they will talk: about Keith’s parentage and his shapeshifting abilities and anything else that _anyone_ may be hiding from the team (here, Keith, still Galran, will give Lance a pointed look and Lance will reluctantly tell the others of his homesickness and fear of missing developments among his family. “It’s almost been a year.” he’ll whisper, voice thick with unshed tears. “Lo’s already had her kid by now. They’re probably walking by now.”). They will talk about visiting Earth- at least quietly- and rescuing Pidge’s family and defeating Zarkon and other once-impossible things that now seem perfectly within reach.

That’s later. For now, they just hold hands.

**Author's Note:**

> so guess who's jumped on the voltron bandwagon? i love these kids ahh! i finished the whole series real fecking fast and im willing to scream about it if you are lol unbeta'ed as usual so feel free to offer services (read: please do omfg)
> 
> come yell at me on[ tumblr](http://probablypartiallyinsane.tumblr.com/)


End file.
